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The Steelers had a decision to make Sunday about whether or not to match the offer sheet wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders signed with the Patriots and they’ve made their call.
Jordan Woy, Sanders’ agent, sent out a tweet announcing that the Steelers have decided to match the offer rather than accept a third-round pick as compensation from New England. Sanders now stands to make $2.5 million in 2013 under the terms of the offer he accepted from New England.
The Steelers can now try to work on a longer deal with Sanders in order to lower that cap number and keep him in Pittsburgh for a few more years. If they don’t, Sanders will be on track to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The Patriots will now likely look to the draft to round out their receiving corps. They re-signed Julian Edelman to go with Danny Amendola, but their pursuit of Sanders makes it clear that they have more they’d like to do at the spot before the 2013 season gets underway.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have matched the offer sheet Sanders signed with the New England Patriots last week, the wide receiver's agent, Jordan Woy, announced Sunday on Twitter.

The Steelers later confirmed the announcement.

A Steelers source told NFL.com's Albert Breer that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger intimated to coach Mike Tomlin that it would be difficult to go into 2013 having lost two of his top three receivers, and with tight end Heath Miller coming off anterior cruciate ligament surgery. The team decided it needed to do right by the quarterback.
The Steelers' salary-cap situation makes working out a long-term contract with Sanders difficult, but the Steelers remain open to getting something done.

Sanders signed the one-year, $2.5 million offer sheet with the Patriots on Wednesday. The Steelers' initial, "original pick" tender offer to Sanders was for $1.3 million.

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The decision to retain Sanders saves the the Steelers from entering a new season without two of their best playmakers on offense. Mike Wallace left the team last month in free agency to join the Miami Dolphins. Now Sanders is expected to move from the slot to take over for Wallace on the outside.

As for the Patriots, they remain in need of depth at wideout. Expect coach Bill Belichick to target the position in the 2013 NFL Draft